MERCHANT

There are some who make their way in the world through skill of their hand. Some that make it through magical blessings. Then there are those that survive through the art of trade and interaction with others. The work of the merchant is a vital one to the growth and benefit of society as a whole. But merchants do much more than trade in goods. Sometimes they have to find those goods in the wild, and it is from this that they become powerful companions or foes.

Adventures: In the ideal world, a merchant would have nothing more to do than open and keep a shop somewhere in the world. However, sometimes items and goods are hard to come by. Most times a merchant will take to adventuring because of the rumor of valuable treasure or a rare item that would command a hefty price in resale. The fact that they can learn and master new skills that help them above and beyond the mercantile world is icing on the proverbial cake - anything to give a merchant the edge over the competition is welcomed.

Characteristics: Merchants neither excel in combat nor spells, but their role is that of the information monger. Merchants have the knack of getting what they want when they want it how they want it. They can tell when someone is trying to lie to them from their experience with deals on a day to day business. They possess a handful of spells that are very strong utility spells, helping to augment the merchant's already impressive abilities in dealing with others.

Alignment: Merchants tend to skirt along the edges of the laws, always looking to cut corners in some way to make more money but still remain "on the level." It is for this reason most are drawn to Lawful or Neutral alignments - the degree to which each adheres to their own varies though.

Religion: The degree to which merchants are religious varies. Most find themselves too absorbed in the pursuit of gold to spend much time worrying about what the higher powers think about them. When they do hold a greater power in a place of respect, it is usually one that focuses on quick minds, trickery, or creative thinking - all things vital to the profession of the merchant.

Background: An apprentice merchant usually serves in the shops of powerful local merchants tending to the tasks the master merchant does not wish to bother himself with. For these reasons, most merchants who have been successful carry one or more apprentices at a time. When an apprentice earns the right to strike out on his own, he is usually expected to join a local guild, not unlike a modern union, which gives him the right to work within the area (be it a city or an entire nation).

Races: Merchants exist in all the civilized races. The most common races to find them in are humans, elves, and gnomes. Humans are constantly in the pursuit of riches, and most are capable of the duplicitous lifestyle that goes hand in hand with the occupation. Elves as a whole rarely contact human lands en masse, and as such use merchants as a go between to sell off their goods and support the elven communities. Gnomes have a love for shiny things, and with the propensity to gather large quantities of gold, they are naturally drawn to the class.

Other Classes: Merchants tend to be invaluable to other classes, as they are capable of wrangling with others of their type for the best deals and usually have heard enough rumors to know which shops to avoid when abroad. They sympathize heavily with the rogue, as both classes have similar intents in life but just go about it in a different way. Aside from this, a merchant serves well as a utility person, being a decent extra hand in combat, having several skills much in need in cities, and possessing a number of unique abilities that mix well with other classes.

Game Rule Information:

Merchants have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Merchants are dependant on a number of abilities. Charisma helps them in their business and determines their total power in spellcasting. Intelligence and Wisdom are key to a number of their skills. Dexterity is also useful to supplement the limited armor choices a merchant has.
Alignment: Any nonchaotic.
Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills:

The merchant's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Innuendo (Wis), Listen (Wis), Open Lock (Dex), Pick Pocket (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features:

All of the following are class features of the merchant.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A merchant is proficient with all simple weapons. Additionally a merchant is proficient with the shortsword, longsword, rapier, warhammer, shortbow, and longbow. Merchants are proficient with light armor and shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor or equipment carried. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a merchant can cast spells while wearing armor or using a shield but suffers a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do).

Spells: A merchant casts arcane spells from the merchant spell list according to Table: The Merchant and Table: Merchant Spells Known. He casts these spells without needing to memorize them beforehand or keep a spellbook. Merchants receive bonus spells for high Charisma, and to cast a spell a merchant must have a Charisma score at least equal to 10 + the level of the spell (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a merchant's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the merchant's Charisma modifier.

Bribe: A merchant is exceptionally good at convincing others to do what the merchant wants them to do through the use of a bribe. When a merchant attempts to bribe an individual, the DC for such an action is 10 + the target's Hit Dice or levels. The merchant has a bonus on his role equal to his Charisma modifier (if positive) + the merchant's level. Success indicates that the merchant has successfully bought the person off. Failure by more than the Hit Dice of the target indicates that not only have they refused the bribe, but are offended enough to take legal action (if such a recourse exists). There are no firm rules for bribe, otherwise. Prices of individuals are up to the DM to determine, but overpaying or underpaying the determine price should result in a +2 situation bonus or a -2 situation penalty respectively.

Detect Lies: This spell-like power allows the merchant to determine if an individual speaking with him is lying. The merchant must concentrate on a specific person currently speaking to them, and must understand the language they are using. This power functions as per the spell discern lie.

Should the merchant use the power and determine the individual was indeed telling the truth, the use of the power for that week still occurs. The merchant can detect lie one additional time each week at 5th, 9th, 15th, and 20th level respectively.

Bonus Language: Merchants come in contact with all kinds of species and cultures through their trade, and are more likely to become adept in using the native tongue of those they deal with. To represent this, a merchant can choose one additional bonus language at 3rd, 12th, and 17th level.

Fast Talk: At 7th level, a merchant gains the extraordinary ability to speak convincing enough to fool others into believing him. The merchant makes an opposed roll of his Charisma to the target's Intuition skill. Success indicates that the merchant has convinced the individual of his side of the story. Appropriate bonuses and penalties should be assigned based on how unrealistic the fast talk is. For example, a merchant spreading a rumor about an upcoming humanoid raid in an area heavily attacked by them could do so rather easily and convincingly, but he would have a hard time convincing a crown guardsman that the king is really a devil. It is up to the DM to determine, based on their knowledge of the character, what stories are too hard to believe and what stories are very easily accepted for each case.

Mercantile Knowledge: A merchant gathers bits and pieces of information throughout his travels and can, by 19th level, gain the ability to know legends or information regarding various topics, just like a bard can with bardic knowledge. A merchant adds his level and Intelligence modifier to the Knowledge check. See page 29 in the Player's Handbook for more information on bardic knowledge.

Merchant Spell List

Merchants choose their spells from the following list: